RAMPAGE OF THE SUPER VILLAINS: SUICIDE SQUAD

The formula’s quite simple. Pluck a task force of DC’s crazy Super-Villains from the Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary for the “worst of the worst”, arm them to the teeth and dispatch them to kill an ancient witch – to save the world from her over-computerized Armageddon.

Such a merry melee! And no heroes here, really.

Even the good guys are bad, although they agree to being used for the interest of good… It’s just a pack of bad baddies, good baddies and bad goodies.

I love films based on comic-books. They don’t take themselves too seriously.

Of course, at the back of my mind, I was asking: Do they really need so many meta-humans to annihilate an archaeologist possessed by an ancient Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) magicking humans into blob-like monsters and her metal laser- shooting brother who have no convincing motive for destroying the world?

And frankly, I would die to see more of the demented couple – Joker(Jared Leto) and his female version, Harley Quinn(Margot Robbie).

Harley Quinn stole the scene from everyone with her rendition of a neon-splashed doll-like cheerleader sociopath. Without doubt, she had the most fun. Too bad she’s mostly an underused bombshell here because it’s not her movie anyway.

Truth is, she had more impact than everyone, including her “Puddin”, the metal-toothed Joker, who had the most pre-release publicity but was relegated to a minor role and given too little screen time.

The rest, except for Deadshot (Will Smith), made sympathetic by being shown as a loving dad, and one-time gangbanger turned repentant pyromaniac, Diablo (Jay Hernandez) who killed his family when he failed to control the flames flying from his body, are cardboard characters.

Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) was more of an Australian stereotype. Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) a cannibal half-reptile, had too much prosthetics and too few lines.

The “bad goodies” include ruthless U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), who’s as scary and unpredictable as the crazies she’s wrangled for the job. She plants a micro-bomb in her Suicide Squad’s necks, programmed to blast them to bits if they don’t toe the line, and coerces them to become redeemers.

And she brought in Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), lover of the archaeologist persona of the Enchantress, a career military man who takes charge of the super villains on their mission, plus his bodyguard, Katana (Karen Fukuhara), a samurai sword with a grudge.

Oh well, the plot maybe silly and the characters, preposterous but what the heck. It’s a comic story onscreen and the movie’s murderously fun.